Hall of Fame
John Brady came to Belhaven as a freshman at Belhaven in 1973 and likely never imagined what kind of basketball career he was going to have. The three-year starter for Belhaven went on to have a stellar career, amassing more than 1,000 points scored and 330 assists under legendary and hall of fame coach Charles Rugg.
It took very little time for Coach Rugg and his teammates at Belhaven to know exactly how strong a will Brady possessed. Following a one-point loss at the beginning of Brady’s freshman season, Coach Rugg, who had a policy of not playing freshmen, was extremely frustrated with his guard play.
“I was talking to my coaches out by the pool at the hotel and said, in a loud enough voice for the team to hear, how much I needed some guards,” Rugg remembered. “All of a sudden a voice pipes up, ‘You have at least one guard, coach.’ I was not too surprised to hear those words come from John.”
While his comment did not garner him playing time, it was clear how confident John was in his ability to get the job done. Over the course of the next three seasons, Brady hit most every clutch shot for Belhaven.
“He wanted the ball at the end of a game,” said Mark Windham, former assistant coach and Belhaven hall of fame member. “You could see it in his eyes that he knew he would make the shot if given the chance. He is arguably one of the best clutch shooters the school has ever had.”
Brady was a two-time member of the All-Southern States Conference Team as a guard, and currently sits in the top five of numerous statistical categories at Belhaven. As successful as he was as a player, there was no doubt the McComb, Mississippi native would be successful in his career of choice. He was determined, focused, driven, and talented, not only on the court, but in the classroom as well.
“John was as fierce and scrappy a competitor as I have ever seen,” said Coach Rugg. “He soaked everything in, both in class and on the court. There was no doubt he had some physical talent, but what separated him was the way he used his mind to achieve success academically and in athletics.”
Using his God-given skills and abilities, Brady found his course for life mapped out in coaching the game of basketball.
After graduating from Belhaven in 1976, he went on to Mississippi State, where he was a Graduate Assistant Coach for the 1976-77 season.
After serving as an assistant coach for the Bulldogs from 1982-1990, Brady received his first NCAA Head Coaching position at Samford University in 1991. In the six years he spent at Samford, Brady became the most successful coach in the school’s history, and led the program to back-to-back Trans Atlantic Athletic Conference (TAAC) West Division championships in 1996 and 1997.
With the successes at Samford, it came as no surprise when, on March 25, 1997, Brady was named the eighteenth Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Louisiana State University.
Soon after Brady was inducted into the Belhaven Athletics Hall of Fame in 1997, his team’s were not just putting a scare into opponents, they were beginning to win the big games. Brady’s coaching philosophies of discipline and responsibility began giving LSU the tools they needed to excel in one of the toughest leagues in the nation.
Brady went on to coach 11 seasons at LSU, compiling a 192-139 (.580) record, which included four trips to the NCAA National Tournament. In the 2005-06 season, Brady’s Tigers went on to defeat #1 seeded Duke en route to a trip to the NCAA Final Four. Brady also won two SEC West and Two SEC Regular Season Championships during his time in Baton Rouge.
Since the 2008-09 season, Brady has been the head coach at Arkansas State University, where he has coached the Red Wolves to a 110-108 (.505) record, and a pair of Sun Belt Conference West Division Championships. In his 24 seasons as a head coach, including the 2014-15 season at ASU, Brady holds a career mark of 391-324 (.547).
Athletic Playing Background
McComb High School, McComb, Miss.
Belhaven College (Jackson, Miss.) -- Three-year starter, scored over 1,000 career points during his career ... Coach Charlie Rugg ... Two-time All-Southern States Conference ... Inducted Fall 1997 into school athletic hall of fame.
Basketball Coaching Experience
1976-77 -- Graduate Assistant Coach, Mississippi State University
1977-82 -- Head Coach, Crowley High School, Crowley, La. 129-49 (.725) record in five seasons ... 1981 Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class AAA "Coach of the Year."
1982-90 -- Assistant Coach, Mississippi State University. First four years under coach Bob Boyd -- Last four years as a chief recruiter for coach Richard Williams.
1991-97 -- Head Coach, Samford University, 89-77 record in six years ... Left Samford as winningest coach in Samford history ... Team won TAAC West Division in 1996 and 1997.
1997-08 -- Head Coach, Louisiana State University, 192-139 record in 11 years … One NCAA Final Four Appearance (2006) … Two SEC Championships … Two SEC Coach of the Year honors … Two Sweet 16 Appearances (2000, 2006) … Three SEC Player of the Year Selections (Stromile Swift - 2000, Brandon Bass - 2005, Glen Davis - 2006) … Three SEC Western Division Championships (2000, 2005, 2006) … Two-time SEC Coach of the Year Award recipient (1999-00, 2005-06)
2008-Present -- Head Coach, Arkansas State University, 110-108 record in seven years … One NCAA Final Four Appearance (2006) … Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year Award recipient (2009-10) … U.S. Basketball Writers Association Coach of the Year (2009-10) … Two Sun Belt Conference West Division Championships (2010-11, 2012-13).
